Trolley could ride the rails again, with help from Hershey Derry Twp. Historical Society

We were talking about trolleys, but it wasn't long before the
conversation – oh, please forgive this pun, but who could resist? – went off
the rails. Lisa Schirato of the Hershey Derry Township Historical
Society was explaining how the society is restoring one of only two Hershey
trolleys known in existence.

Historically, Hershey Transit Co. car No. 7 carried passengers in and around Hershey. The Hershey Derry Township Historical Society hopes to get the trolley running again on Chocolate Avenue.Submitted photo

This one, she said, was found in Enola, where it was a home.

Whoa, there. Stop the train. It was what?

Yes, it was a trolley converted to a little house.

"They sectioned off the interior and made a house of it,"
she said. "They put it on a hand-dug basement, and that's where it stayed until
we dug it out."

Brings a whole new meaning to the term "mobile home."

But to get – here I go again – back on track, let's talk
about Trolley No. 7's bright future. The historical society is restoring it and
hopes to send it trundling up and down Chocolate Avenue again. From 1930 to
1946, No. 7 served the Hershey Transit Co., a vital piece of Milton Hershey's
plan for a cohesive community.

The "forward-thinking" Hershey probably rode the transit
line, said Schirato. He was a big fan, actually.

"He was unhappy if people weren't using it," she said. "The Hershey
system was always top-notch."

Any photos of Mr. Hershey himself riding a trolley car?

Sadly, no. "We would love to find a picture of him, but that
one hasn't turned up yet."

The transit line was supposed to fold in 1942 but endured
for the war effort because buses hogged fuel and rubber, Schirato said.

So, trolleys were green before it was fashionable. Schirato liked
that idea. If all goes as planned, she told me, the restored No. 7 will
actually ride on rails again.

On tracks, not on tires? Like the old days – clanging bells
and bumping wheels and Judy Garland and all that stuff?

Sure. With Hershey's tourist crowd, a 20- to 35-seat trolley
could be a "novel attraction."

"There are all kinds of cities around the country that are
putting systems back in," Schirato said. "It's doable. It's just a matter of logistics
and money, of course."

Oh, that. Money. But there's a history of little-engine-that-could
accomplishment here. The gutsy Friends of the Hershey Trolley, a committee of the
society, has already raised $25,000 to buy steel wheels (maybe the old ones fell
into the basement when the trolley was a house).

Actual restoration of a mostly gutted trolley car – although
they did uncover an original brass luggage rack – runs in the hundreds of
thousands. Hopefully, some grants will be found, and a new book, hot off the
presses, will raise more funds. "Hershey Transit (Images of America)", rich with archival photos and history, is available
from the Hershey
Derry Township Historical Society, www.hersheyhistory.org.

Schirato witnessed the house/trolley being lifted off its
foundation for transporting from Enola to Hershey – "It was pretty amazing" –
but she missed an even more dramatic moment. That was the day when society
members, trying to confirm that this crazy little house was actually No. 7,
rubbed the white paint off the exterior.

"They were able to rub enough off to see the number 7," she
said. "They were pretty excited when that happened. I wish I could have been
there."